smile and persevere (because that's all you can do)
by Keelan1210
Summary: Midoriya Izuku decides very early on to become a hero. Midoriya Izuku is told very early on that he cannot. Midoriya Izuku ignores that and more until he can do so no longer. (Trigger Warning - Mention of Suicide)


**Disclaimer:** Boku no Hero Academia is owned by Horikoshi Kōhei.

 **Author's Note (1):** I was reading the manga when I suddenly began to think about how much of an impact Midoriya's childhood must have had on his psyche. I was contemplating this while driving and thought, "Well, it must have been pretty damaged already but to couple that with Bakugo's and Yagi's whopping lines..." which lead to this short one-shot being born.

* * *

 _Origin:_

"There is no need to panic for I am here!"

We are three when we hear that sentence for the first time but that is not what initially strikes us. It is neither the speaker's large musculature nor his iconic, blond hair, not the suddenly relieved faces of the people trapped in the wreckage either.

No, what enraptures us is that smile, _the_ smile— wide, infectious, utterly inappropriate in the sobriety of the situation, comforting— because it is a declaration in of itself. "I am here, and I will save you, no matter what," the rescued seem to hear, and in a sense, we are one of the rescued, too, sharing their joy, their relief, their reverence.

The word "hero" becomes a part of our dictionary. His figure becomes imprinted in our mind. Those reassurances become our motto.

He becomes our dream.

* * *

 _Development:_

We try everyday, _every_ _single_ _day_ , to live as we believe our hero does.

We help our mother with groceries despite her being perfectly capable on her own, and we and she know this, but she indulges us with a laugh nonetheless, calling us her "hero". We adopt the stray cat by the road, the abandoned dog near the park. We feed the cat, nurse the dog, allow our mother to send the two to more loving and suitable homes when she inevitably sees through our flimsy excuse of an unexplainable, increased appetite.

We defend those crying on the ground, knees scraped and cheek bruised, standing defiantly against a stronger opponent. We never use violence because our hero uses force only when combating evil, and while our adversary adheres to a variety of roles— classmate, leader, bully, _friend_ — villain is not one.

We smile everyday, _every single day_ , ignoring our bruised cheek, our scraped knees, the damning, "Your son has an extra joint, ma'am. I am sorry to say, but the chances of him developing a quirk are nigh impossible."

We do not want to hear the mechanical condolences. We do not want to hear that brutal jeering.

We do not want to hear those heart-wrenching apologies.

We smile.

We persevere.

* * *

 _Climax:_

"Why don't you fling yourself from the roof and pray for a quirk in your next life?"

What most people fail to acknowledge is how humanity is the most cruel species to have ever existed. There is the inherent desire for supremacy— survival of the fittest in a pure, unadulterated form— as well as a willingness to suspend morality whenever necessary. However, children are the worst, the most insensitive, the most self-serving, the id and the ego usurping the superego.

We know this but say nothing, do nothing.

We accept the taunting. We bandage our burned skin. We rewrite our scorched notes. We lie to our mother whenever she tries to ask if we are okay.

We are fine. We have to be fine.

We cannot be anything but fine.

Our hero does not complain, so we will not complain. Our hero is the paragon of tenacity, so we will act as a paragon of tenacity.

Our hero perseveres, so we will persevere.

We endure. We endure.

We endure, and our hero states, quite plainly, "You cannot be a hero."

What then had all we had done been for?

For what did we endure?

* * *

 _Resolution:_

I don't know.

* * *

 **Author's Note (2):** I remember a time when I couldn't even finish the first chapter/episode of Boku no Hero Academia. It was really all because of Bakugo's one line of, and I'm paraphrasing, "Why don't you fling yourself from the roof and pray for a quirk in your next life?" I absolutely despised him and couldn't imagine enjoying the series if he was one of the main cast. Now, I have what is, I think, too large of an interest in this series and Bakugo's, Midoriya's, and the rest's development.


End file.
